Chapter A 24, “Tribalism,” has shown that the highly problematic “agentic state” is linked to a whole range of other behavioral characteristics that can be summarized in a tribalistic profile. These behavioral tendencies, which originated in the Stone Age, were not discarded with the rise of urban civilizations, but in some cases were even significantly intensified, particularly with regard to the willingness to enter an “agentic state,” that is, a state of subordination.
That such a profile blocks the path to a better future—a future of peace, freedom, and democracy—is demonstrated by a comparison with two more highly developed behavioral profiles.
Tribalism
Original form of group affiliation—typical for small and medium-sized
territorial units and manageable membership numbers, Profile (from the previous chapter):
8. In the case of left-wing tribalists: proclamation of equality and collectivism; In the case of right-wing tribalists: proclamation of irrational slogans about the superiority of the respective ethnic or cultural group.
9. In both cases, there is a large gap between theoretical claims and reality, a consequence of an insufficiently rational and excessively emotional orientation (dogmatism).
10. Fixation on leading figures (hardly any focus on principles or consistent ideas), resulting in uncritical submission and, conversely, a striving for hierarchy.
11. Despite a friendly facade, poor solidarity or deep connection; sharing in the benefits serves as the binding element (opportunism).
12. Sufficient commitment to the sources of material advantages in good times; however, tendencies toward dissolution in phases of diminishing benefits. (This phenomenon corresponds to the commensalism widespread in nature. Lions and hyenas, for example, gather peacefully around their prey as long as everyone has enough to eat.)
13. Corrosive psychological influences such as envy and various other narcissistic traits, especially the inability to sincerely acknowledge the achievements of others, further weaken the already superficial cohesion and lead to a complete lack of resistance to purges from above.
14. Despite the weak bonds, the subgroup (party, religious community) is clearly given priority over the nation, which sometimes manifests itself in demonstrative anti-patriotism. The latter is mistakenly judged as "cosmopolitan" and "progressive."
It is a consistent and therefore unmistakable characteristic of tribalistic systems that those members who have been "weeded out from above," i.e., by those in power, as described in point 6, are bullied, shunned, and cowardly abandoned by all the others. The corresponding treatment of freedom fighters Julian Assange and Edward Snowden (Chapter A 13 "Below-the-Belt Attacks") thus presents itself as irrefutable proof of the profoundly tribalistic status of current Western societies.
Patriotism
Moderate form of emotional bonding within a nation/society, Profile:
1. Less emphasis on leading figures (president, chancellor, etc.)
2. Ranking based on qualifications—through merit or democratic election
3. Approaches to rational autonomy of the individual
4. Cohesion through moderate solidarity based on (sometimes heartfelt) goodwill.
5. Stable cohesion, especially in times of scarcity and hardship.
6. Stronger emotional ties to the nation than to a specific social subgroup (party, interest group, ethnic or cultural group, residents of a state/province/city).
7. Through solidarity and consensus-building, the nation's ability to exercise its democratic sovereign rights and defend them against competing power claims
Free Association
Association of freely deciding individuals or association of free nations, Profile:
1. Orientation towards shared ideas and principles, not towards leaders
2. Hierarchy/authorities and substantive decisions based solely on qualifications and/or majority vote
3. Rational autonomy of the individual, "Autonomous State"
4. Cohesion through shared fundamental values and ideals logically derived from a rational worldview – idealistic commitment
5. Subtle emotional bonds that persist even in times of crisis and ensure courageous advocacy for freedom defenders under pressure
6. Rational conception of the nation and higher forms of integration from multiple nations as those solidarity-based units that can actually demand and uphold democratic rights and freedoms
7. The permeation of individuals' consciousness with the ideas and principles of free association gradually provides the psychological prerequisites for...
7.1 Overcoming tribalistic forms of bonding within societal groups and their gradual transformation into free associations.
7.2 Sustainable consensus and cohesion among members of society in the face of undemocratic power struggles and unsolidary or criminal behavior.
7.3 Integration processes within the nation, specifically through the gradual inclusion of marginalized groups and minorities, ensuring fairness for all.
7.4 Integration processes between friendly nations and fairness towards non-friendly nations.
To the extent that the necessary minimum solidarity within society is revived and the transition from an "agentic state" to an "autonomous state" is achieved, the path opens towards benevolent and fair interactions and away from envy, petty resentment, and fearful subordination within tribalistic structures.
Up to now, however, the establishment has been trained, in accordance with the wishes of big business, to blindly and furiously attack any hint of patriotism—or to subtly silence it, as illustrated by the following example of text suppression in a significant quote. Former German Federal President Horst Köhler, after his election, uttered the famous phrase before the Federal Assembly: "I love our country." In the same speech, he continued: (Correct quote on Spiegel Online) “Germany must change, that is true. But in doing so, we should also be aware of our cultural and religious roots. How do we manage to bring the abstract word ‘values’ from politicians’ speeches into everyday conversations and behavior, and thus make it come alive? How do we manage to reaffirm our national identity in an ever-expanding Europe, while simultaneously gaining a European identity? – Incidentally, ladies and gentlemen, I have found that patriotism and cosmopolitanism are not opposites; they are mutually dependent. Only those who respect themselves also respect others.” Reference: www.spiegelonline.de – full quote
Ironically, the same quote is presented in a mutilated form on the very homepage set up for his political office. “Mutilated” is appropriate because the text has not simply been reduced to its essential passages. Rather, a completely insignificant portion of the long speech, less than a line in terms of volume, was cut out. – Yet, in terms of abstraction and meaning, these eleven concluding words represent the quintessence.
The abbreviated quote on www.derbundepraesident.de reads: “Germany must change, that is true. But in doing so, we should also be aware of our cultural and religious roots. How do we manage to bring the abstract word ‘values’ from politicians’ speeches into everyday conversations and behavior, and thus make it come alive? How do we manage to reaffirm our national identity in an ever-expanding Europe – and at the same time gain a European identity? Incidentally, ladies and gentlemen, I have found that patriotism and cosmopolitanism are not opposites.” (End, over – the final part of the speech, addressing the two aspects of “mutual dependence between patriotism and cosmopolitanism” and “self-respect,” was omitted.)
This manipulation reveals a profoundly tribalistic attitude. Those who lack self-respect as individuals merely suffer from inferiority complexes. However, rejecting the self-respect of the social group also means making one's fellow human beings collateral victims of one's own psychological deficits. Furthermore, this contempt represents a subservient "altruistic surrender" to the—by no means legitimate—powerful, who desire their "subjects" precisely in this way: burdened with complexes and paralyzed by a lack of self-respect. An underdeveloped respect for European-influenced nations and their liberal civilization has become standard practice in the Western political establishment. It manifests itself, among other things, in a willingness to engage in a half-hearted appeasement towards the rival, less liberal civilization of the Islamic Orient.
From this perspective, the observations on the Vietnam War in Chapter A 20, "The Relationship of Capitalists to Leninism," can be expanded. It states: “After 20 years of military intervention, one could assume a near-perfect alignment between results and true aims: an endless war… and a tremendous disgrace for the American nation—to the moral advantage of all enemies of liberal democracy. The psychologically devastating double message to the world was that ‘the Americans’ are brutal war criminals and that real socialism (Leninism) is invincible.” The Korean War in the early 1950s had helped the financial magnates to reinforce the warning message about dangerous socialism within the framework of the ongoing “Second Red Scare” (1947 to 1957), but as a side effect, it also led to a broad patriotic consensus in American society. However, this very side effect was apparently absolutely undesirable in the long run. After the Red Scare lesson about communist expansionist ambitions, another political shift occurred during the Vietnam War. This time, it was so multifaceted and surreal that it took a full 20 years to mold it to fit.
While the bourgeois-conservative majority largely clung to its patriotic stance during the Vietnam War, a growing left-wing protest movement was tolerated by the mainstream media and even—to this day—subtly encouraged and supported. This movement was factually correct in condemning American war crimes. The conservatives who opposed them were also factually correct in desiring a swift and victorious end to the
For 20 years, both leftists and conservatives were kept in suspense and subjected to daily psychological torture by the detailed war reports—intensified in bursts by occasional “revelations.” Instead of the war being confined to military objectives, there was an uncontrolled (and likely deliberate) involvement of the civilian population, and instead of a swift, victorious end to the war, there was an endless protraction with catastrophic consequences. The human brain, however, is wired to try to avoid such constant emotional stress; it seeks ways to finally switch to a state of calm.
The leftists were able to maintain their psychological equilibrium through the defense mechanism of “identification with the enemy” (see the final chapter, “Tribalism or Freedom,” near the end). At the time, this meant sympathizing with the communist Viet Cong (with pictures of Che Guevara, chants of “Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh,” and red flags) and adopting a decidedly anti-patriotic stance.
Feelings of guilt and failure are highly effective psychological mechanisms for transforming people into a compliant “agentic state.” Specifically in the Vietnam war, such psychological deficits turned previously self-confident conservatives into pseudo-conservative “hawks” and “neocons.” Their crude, heavy-handed militarism unilaterally serves the interests of the arms and financial industries, but the uncritical media environment prevents rational resistance to this irrational policy.
Thus, every new military intervention—pushed by pseudo-conservatives but since Vietnam mostly counterproductive—brings liberal civilization closer to being replaced by an alternative model. This latter model, in the form of the UN-centric “New World Order,” has been preparing for decades for a new leadership role. Unlike leftists, pseudo-conservatives do not identify with such a goal, but readily support any self-destructive military intervention against a "monster" proclaimed by the press, blind and deaf to the propaganda nature of the pretexts offered and filled with the fear of further defeats. In this preemptive flight, they readily agree to any increase in military spending, no matter how excessive or destabilizing, as well as any economic sanctions, especially against "the Russians."
American conservatism, in its traumatic damage, has forgotten how to conserve, that is, preserve and protect, freedom and democracy. This does not demand endlessly protracted military interventions, but rather a rational and moral commitment to their principles and values. If people had a well-developed historical awareness, the principleless disregard of Western politicians would be evident, for example, in the arms shipments that have been going for years to the once fiercely opposed communist regime in Vietnam.
The cautionary example of American conservatives who strayed from the correct path speaks all the more in favor of a cosmopolitan and rational patriotism—and explicitly against nationalism and militarism. Nationalism represents an immature concept, outdated by history, which fanatically exaggerates the social solidarity typical of patriotism. It combines this with tribalistic elements, namely a pronounced fixation on leaders and hierarchy.
This strong emotionalization comes at the expense of sober reason and makes nationalism a dangerous model for coexistence between nations. While the patriot feels affinity and respect for the patriot of another nation, the nationalist sees the nationalist of another nation primarily as a rival. A sad historical example is the relationship between Poland and Germany before World War II.
(Addendum from February 2026: The repetition of this tragedy in the Ukraine war thus proves to be the result of insufficient lessons learned from the past. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, for years there was uncritical observation as callous politicians squandered the enormous opportunity for rapprochement with Russia. Instead of the partnership-oriented spirit of the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, the eastward expansion of NATO began in 1999, and soon thereafter, an increasingly negative image of Russia emerged in the media.)
As will be explained in more detail later (see Chapter A 34, "Classless Society?"), liberation from the tribalistic "Autonomous State" represents the true key to a future of mutual respect and self-respect. Fairness, as an expression of this mutual respect, cannot flourish in the "Agentic State." Fortunately, not only power, but also fairness, has a tendency toward self-reinforcement. Once it can prevail against undemocratic (money) power both within and between societies, the path to a better future will be clear.